CHAPTER 21 - OLDENBURG, GERMANY—DECEMBER 13, 1916
A wintry gust bit at Anna’s cheeks as she stepped through the threshold of Norbie’s workshop. She squinted, shielding her eyes from blowing snow, and turned to Max.
“It’s going to be a rough walk to school,” she said. “It’s snowing heavily, and there’s several inches on the ground.”
“We can make it.” Max wrapped a scarf around his neck, tucking the ends into his wool coat, then patted Nia’s side. “Ready, girl?”
Nia gave a whole-body shake, as if she’d been given a bath, and then stood at attention with her chin up.
Max clasped the handle to Nia’s harness. “Forward.”
Nia padded ahead, her paws sinking in the snow.
Anna locked the door behind her. She paused, watching Nia guide Max over the dark, predawn street.
This might be our last day of training together.
Fleck is going to terminate me or, at the very least, demote me.
A lump formed in the pit of her stomach.
She’d rehearsed her explanation for bartering for food—when she was supposed to be training—but it likely didn’t matter.
Fleck was a stickler for rules, punctuality, and precise technique with his trainers.
She held little hope that Fleck would understand or take pity with their lack of rations.
If anything, she hoped that she’d be able to persuade Fleck that it was she, not Max, who had failed him.
Although she’d slept little, it wasn’t due to fretting over saving her job.
She’d spent much of the night awake in bed, buried under layers of blankets to keep warm, thinking about how beautifully Max played the piano.
He’d only performed the one piece, but the angelic resonance of the strings replayed over and over in her head.
She was overjoyed that Max might be on his way to regaining his ambition to play music.
Even if her days of training were over, it was worth it, knowing that she and Nia played a small part in Max’s journey to be a pianist. With Nia’s help, Max will live a life of independence doing what he loves most.
A few streets away, they met up with Emmi, whose thick wool scarf was wrapped around her face, leaving a slit for her eyes.
“It’s a day like this that makes me happy to be inside cleaning kennels, rather than playing on the obstacle course,” Emmi jested.
“Ja,” Anna said. After meeting with Fleck, I might be working with you in the barn, or searching for a new job.
“Good morning, Emmi,” Max said.
Emmi adjusted her scarf to uncover her face. “Hi, Max.”
“How’s Ewald?” he asked, staring ahead.
“That’s sweet of you to ask,” Emmi said. “I received a letter from him last night. His spirits are good, and he expects to be home on leave in the summer.”
“That’s wonderful,” Max said.
Emmi glanced to Anna. “Any news from Bruno?”
Anna’s shoulder muscles tightened. “Nein.”
“I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon,” Emmi said.
Anna nodded. She shuffled her boots through unplowed snow. To the east, the horizon glowed behind ashen clouds.
Emmi, as if she were attempting to change the subject, dusted snow from Max’s coat. She turned to Anna and grinned. “You’re slacking on your job, Anna. Max is turning into a snowman.”
Anna lowered her head.
Emmi’s smile faded. “What’s wrong?”
“I created a mess of things for Anna,” Max said.
“You did not,” Anna said.
“It was my idea,” Max said, turning toward Anna.
Emmi furrowed her brows. “What are you talking about?”
Anna drew a deep breath, cold air stinging her nostrils, and then looped her arm through Emmi’s. As they walked toward school, she and Max told Emmi about bartering Norbie’s timepieces for food, and their encounter with Waldemar.
“Oh, no,” Emmi said. “Waldemar followed you for the entire afternoon?”
“I think so,” Anna said. “I’m sure he has informed Fleck. I’ll likely be relieved from my duties when we arrive at school.”
“You won’t be let go,” Max said. “I’ll talk with him. I’m sure he’ll be reasonable about the situation.”
“Ja,” Emmi said. “You’ll smooth things over with Fleck; you always do.”
“I hope you’re right,” Anna said, walking ahead. “But if things work out poorly with Fleck, I might need to speak with Dr. Stalling about returning to the hospital.”
Emmi nudged Max, and then picked up a handful of snow. She packed it with her gloved hands and tossed it, striking the back of Anna’s knit cap.
A clump of snow dropped inside Anna’s collar, freezing her bare skin. She turned, slipping on ice. “What was that for?”
“You worry too much,” Emmi said.
Anna, as if by reflex, grabbed a handful of snow and hurled it. But it missed Emmi, who ducked, and struck Max in the face.
Max crouched to a knee and lowered his head.
“Oh, no!” Anna dashed to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—are you okay?”
Max sprang up, laughing, and dumped a large ball of snow onto Anna’s head.
“Trickster!” Anna said, packing a handful of snow.
Emmi chuckled, then received a snowball to her shoulder from Anna.
Within seconds, the trio—like a group of schoolchildren on a snow holiday—were chucking snowballs, pelting each other’s coats.
Max, with the aid of Nia, who pointed him in the general direction of Anna and Emmi, landed several hits.
Anna’s angst evaporated under a hail of snowballs and, for the moment, she forgot all about Fleck, her hunger, and the war.
Max tossed a snowball, landing short of Anna’s feet.
“Come on, Max!” Anna shouted. “Is that all you got?”
Max waved, and then sucked in air to catch his breath.
Anna dropped her snowball and approached him. “Are you all right?”
He nodded. “I’m out of snowball fighting shape.”
“If the winter continues to be like this,” Emmi said, extending her hand to catch snowflakes, “you’ll get plenty of exercise with me and Anna.”
A muffled clopping and squeak of wagon wheels grew from behind them.
Anna turned. Through the falling snow, a horse-drawn wagon appeared. On the bench and holding the reins was Fleck. Sitting next to him was his dog, Elfriede. He’s early. She dusted her and Max’s coats, attempting to hide evidence of their snowball fight.
Fleck tugged on the reins and the wagon slowed to a stop. “Get in.”
Anna swallowed. “All of us?”
“Ja,” he said.
Max slipped off his gloves, removed Nia’s harness, and the dog leaped into the bed of the wagon, where she padded forward and greeted Elfriede with a sniff.
Anna, Max, and Emmi climbed into the bed of the wagon. Fleck tugged on the reins, and the wagon pulled away.
Anna waited for Fleck to say something, but he silently steered as the horse plodded toward school.
Let’s get it over with, she thought, staring at the back of Fleck’s snow-dusted coat.
She wondered, although briefly, if she should address the issue head-on with Fleck.
But she didn’t want to put Emmi in jeopardy of getting caught in Fleck’s crossfire.
And considering Max’s silence, she believed that he might also be thinking the same thing.
So, she leaned back, allowing icy flakes to patter her face, until they arrived at school.
They jumped down from the wagon. The horse snorted, its hot breath misting in the frigid air.
Anna motioned to Emmi to enter the barn.
Emmi nodded and slipped inside.
Fleck tethered a leash to Elfriede, who was no longer favoring her paw with the injured toenail.
“Elfriede looks much better,” Anna said, desperate to break the silence.
Fleck flapped his cap against his coat, dusting away snow, and placed it on his head. His eyes met Anna’s. “I’d like to have a word with you and Max—inside.”
“Ja, sir,” she said.
Anna, Max, and Nia entered the barn, where Emmi was preparing a fire in the cast-iron stove.
Emmi looked at Anna and silently mouthed, “It’ll be okay.”
Anna gave a subtle nod.
Rusted iron hinges screeched as Fleck closed the barn door.
Anna’s skin prickled.
“Fr?ulein Zeller,” Fleck said, facing her, “I assume that you are aware that Waldemar has come to me with a concern about you and Max.
She clasped her gloved hands. “Ja, sir.”
“Herr Fleck,” Max said, shuffling forward. “It was all my doing. I insisted that Anna permit me to barter for food while we were training.”
“You’ll get your chance to say your piece, Max,” Fleck said. “First, I’d like to hear from Fr?ulein Zeller.”
Max slipped off his gloves and placed them in his coat pockets. “Of course, sir.”
“We’re nearly out of food, sir,” Anna said.
“I’m not sure if we’ll have enough to last us until the supply of rations in Oldenburg are restored.
My vater, Norbie, has had little success with trading his timepieces for food.
” Her stomach fluttered. She drew a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to say.
“I thought that by enlisting Max and Nia to barter timepieces, people would be more, how shall I say, sympathetic to our need.”
Emmi, her eyes wide, dropped a stack of wood. “Sorry,” she blurted.
Fleck crossed his arms.
“That’s not true,” Max said. “Anna is attempting to take my blame to save me from possibly being removed from training. It was me, not Anna, who insisted on bartering the timepieces.” Using his thumb and forefinger, he rubbed the smooth leather handle to Nia’s harness, as if it were a worry stone.
“Anna and her vater are nearly starving, yet they share what little food they have with me while I board in their home. It’s not fair; I receive military-issued lunches to sustain me, and they receive nothing. I wanted to help.”
Oh, Max. A flash of him digging frozen leeks from the garden filled Anna’s head.